is it bad if i dropped a hard drive??

[wakko]

i dropped it like 2-3 inches in a car that was pretty much carpetted. i havent opened it yet but was wondering if they're would be any damage to the drive

 

[mackstann]

if it was in a box.....it might be fine. you really will just have to find out. on my maxtor i noticed the label said it can handle up to 75 G's.

 

[wakko]

no it wasnt in a box... it was its static shielded bag and fell out of a plastic bag. the quantum is suppose to be able to handle up to 300gs at 2 ms... what are the "gs"???

 

[Bozz]

Fell out of the static bag onto the carpet!!! Static... Carpet... Hmmm

Can anybody say ZAP!!

 

[Vincent]

I've dropped a bare hard drive from a height of 3feet onto a carpeted floor. Everything was fine and the drive is still working now.

 

[Bozz]

Yeah and I've seen WD drives last longer than 3 years, doesn't mean every single one is going to.

 

[wakko]

hehe WD's grrrr i dont like them anymore........ no no my hard drive was brand new in its static seal never opened. and it fell on the carpet. well we'll see what happens later today when i get my win2k cd

 

[SlingBlade]

LOL Anyone remember that hard drive that could take like 130 "non-operating" Gs? LOLOL. Sounds like this guy need one of those

 

[SuperSix]

Should be fine, the heads aotu-park on the inner rim of the platters when they are shut down, so unless the heads got chipped/cracked, you should be fine.

 

[Shooters]

2-3 inches isn't bad. If anything, you should be more concerned with the static in the carpet rather than the shock that the drive sustained due to being dropped.

 

[murdock2525]

Nah...You wont have any problems... I've been in 10 -12 foot seas off the Bahamas when I felt like my teeth were going to jar out and it didn't affect the computers....You're fine.No worry

 

[samgau]

My guess is that the drive should be fine... they are pretty tough..especially the new ones... burners on the other hand should never be dropped..

 

[Viper GTS]

It's most likely alright, I've had my entire computer fall on it's side before, & nothing was damaged. A 3" drop to a padded surface isn't going to hurt it.

Viper GTS

 

[Jeff7]

300Gs means that the drive can withstand 300 times the normal force of gravity we feel. Of course, the thing is decelerating in a tiny fraction of a second, so it wouldn't take too much to make that many Gs. Best way to tell that I can think of - put it in a computer and run a surface test on it with Scandisk or Norton Disk Doctor.

 

[wakko]

thanks alot for everyone who responded. wow! anandtech rules everyone is so helpfull i'll reply to this thread later after i install win2k

 

[lazyboy]

I had my entire computer fall 3 feet off a desk onto a hard floor. The CD burner stopped working. Everything else was cool but I was probably pretty lucky.

 

[Skoalboy]

Scary though that things like HDd can handle 75 g's and yet a simple jolt of power can nock them out in a heart beat.

 

[TunaBoo]

Monitors are the strongest. I have dropped them off 8 foor high loading docks, nothing. THROWN as hard as I could down off 8 foot loading dock - nothing.

Rammed front of a monitor screen with a the prong of a 5,000 pound forklift at full speed - a tiny scratch.

Leaded glass = strong

 

[Mday]

i dropped one on my foot once. it hurt =(

 

[COWWATCHER]

i drop my hd alot on the carpet and nothing happens....

 

[batgeek]

make sure the bits didn't get jarred off the platters and you should be fine =P

 

[magicslax]

i've had a drive fall over onto a hard table and it works fine. anything can happen, though.

 

[dawks]

Welcome to Anandtech wakko... one warning, this place is extremely addictive.

'G's' Are Geforce.. I dont know how to explain them technically, but they are what a pilot experiences when hes turning, or acclerating.. You get it in your car also.. Its a rating of the force thats pulling you out of your seat in a curve.. Typical People will pass out from G's of something like 6 or higher.. I think it was.. You can get G-Force suits that protect you at higher G's but I dont think many humans can handle more then 10.. (btw, you'll never get these kind of G's in a car, 5+ is in a jet)

G's force the blood from your brain down to your legs and feet, hence the passing out.

 

[Creepster]

I have dropped a couple from higher than that you should be okay. But I'm not making any promises!!

 

[ArchAngel777]

Geforce refers to how many gravities something is.

I weigh 200 or so lbs.

pulling 10G puts me at 2,000 pounds.



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